Wedbush Issues Negative Estimate for AutoZone Earnings

AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at Wedbush lowered their Q2 2025 EPS estimates for shares of AutoZone in a report released on Wednesday, December 11th. Wedbush analyst S. Basham now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $29.83 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $31.14. Wedbush currently has a "Outperform" rating and a $3,200.00 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for AutoZone's current full-year earnings is $154.29 per share. Wedbush also issued estimates for AutoZone's Q4 2025 earnings at $49.82 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $151.42 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $170.79 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $196.98 EPS.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on AutoZone from $3,038.00 to $3,125.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,501.00 to $3,753.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on AutoZone from $3,450.00 to $3,750.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday. BNP Paribas raised AutoZone to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,500.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AutoZone presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $3,360.47.

AutoZone Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:AZO traded up $27.52 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $3,368.00. The company had a trading volume of 56,531 shares, compared to its average volume of 139,269. The business's 50 day moving average price is $3,148.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $3,061.08. AutoZone has a 1-year low of $2,510.00 and a 1-year high of $3,416.71. The stock has a market cap of $56.92 billion, a PE ratio of 22.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.71.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $32.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $33.69 by ($1.17). AutoZone had a net margin of 14.18% and a negative return on equity of 53.89%. The firm had revenue of $4.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $32.55 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,075.20, for a total value of $922,560.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 13,857 shares of the company's stock, valued at $42,613,046.40. This represents a 2.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,107.69, for a total transaction of $4,910,150.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,218 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,785,166.42. This trade represents a 56.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 14,880 shares of company stock valued at $46,225,660. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AZO. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas bought a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the 3rd quarter valued at $2,208,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in AutoZone by 18.1% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 44,946 shares of the company's stock valued at $141,717,000 after purchasing an additional 6,898 shares during the period. Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC increased its position in AutoZone by 44.9% in the third quarter. Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC now owns 1,678 shares of the company's stock worth $5,286,000 after buying an additional 520 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of AutoZone by 38.6% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 1,192 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,755,000 after buying an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of AutoZone during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $781,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.74% of the company's stock.

About AutoZone

AutoZone, Inc retails and distributes automotive replacement parts and accessories in the United States, Mexico, and Brazil. The company provides various products for cars, sport utility vehicles, vans, and light trucks, including new and remanufactured automotive hard parts, maintenance items, accessories, and non-automotive products.